College of Education and Human Development

School of Social Work

Staff

Ashley Aguy Ashley Aguy

As the full-time, 12 month, faculty member MSW Title IV-E Field Coordinator, teaching speciality, and field instructor, I have the honorable pleasure of supporting MSW students within the Title IV-E Fellowship program.

Ashley Aguy

Alison Bey Alison Bey

  • Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • beyxx016@umn.edu

Alison has an MEd from the University of Minnesota and has been working in the field of Adult Education for about 10 years.

Alison Bey

Steve Carlson Steve Carlson

Steve joined the Center in 2014 as a Clinical Trainer. Prior to this he served as the Director of Training at a local Minnesota non-profit.

Steve Carlson

Denise Cooper Denise Cooper

Denise supports the Outreach efforts of CASCW.

Denise Cooper

Cliff Dahlberg Cliff Dahlberg

  • Curriculum Media Specialist, MN Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • dahlb056@umn.edu

Cliff earned his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Minnesota. He is dually licensed as a graduate social worker (LGSW) and alcohol and drug counselor (LADC).

Rae Dillon Rae Dillon

  • Academic Advisor: Youth Studies, SSW minors, and the Youth Development Leadership Program
  • she/her/hers
  • mill4780@umn.edu

Rae Dillon, our academic advisor, has served in the education field for over thirteen years (youth programs, public schools, education nonprofits, & higher education). Most recently, she was an academic advisor at Inver Hills Community College

Rae Dillon, headshot

Kyle Evans Kyle Evans

Kyle comes to us from the University of Minnesota, Morris campus bringing with him five years of progressive higher education experience.

Crystal Fernandez Crystal Fernandez

  • Executive Administrative Office Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • crystal@umn.edu

Crystal supports Title IV-E students at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work.

Crystal Fernandez

Jane Fields Jane Fields

  • Evaluation and Certification Supervisor, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • jfields@umn.edu

Jane has more than two decades of experience working with project leaders, staff members, participants, and communities in evaluating program designs, implementation, and impact as both an internal and external evaluator.

Jane Fields

Kaia Forde Kaia Forde

Kaia Forde works primarily on the messaging, marketing, and communication materials to be used be within and outside of the CASCW.

Kaia Forde

Liz Fronsoe Liz Fronsoe

  • Outreach Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
    PLX Coordinator (Interim), Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • efronsoe@umn.edu

Liz serves as interim coordinator for the Phoenix Learning Xchange (PLX) program and as an Outreach Specialist.

Liz Fronsoe

Stacy Gehringer Stacy Gehringer

Stacy leads the Outreach efforts at CASCW, the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. She manages communication, training events, faculty partnerships, center collaborations, awards, CW360°, and policy tracking.

Stacy Gehringer

Josh Geiger Josh Geiger

  • Curriculum Developer, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • 612-301-9771
  • geig0042@umn.edu

Josh is from St. Paul and currently lives on the West Side. He has previously worked as a trainer, adviser, and teacher. Josh enjoys uncovering the connectedness of seemingly disconnected things and brings an artistic lens to his work.

Josh Geiger

Emily Gus Emily Gus

  • Research Coordinator, Center for Practice Transformation
  • she, her, hers
  • emilygus@umn.edu

Emily Gus joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) as a Research Coordinator, with an MPH in Community Health Promotion from the University of Minnesota.

Emily Gus

Kelly Johnson Kelly Johnson

Kelly Johnson joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as an Operations Coordinator with a BA in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Kelly Johnson

Sydney Johnson Sydney Johnson

Dr. Johnson leads the design and implementation of research and evaluation projects at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare.

Sydney Johnson

Lolita Johnson Lolita Johnson

  • Curriculum Supervisor, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9769
  • howa0052@umn.edu

Lolita has over 20 years of leadership, training, and design experience that relates to adult education and development.

Lolita Johnson

Kurt Hattenberger Kurt Hattenberger

Kurt holds degrees in instrumental music education (B.M. St. Olaf College) and saxophone performance (M.M. University of Minnesota).

Traci LaLiberte Traci LaLiberte

  • Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare
  • 612-624-2279
  • lali0017@umn.edu

Child Welfare, Disability, Evaluation, Policy, Systems Change

Traci LaLiberte

Gena LaMothe Gena LaMothe

Gena is a graphic designer with ten years of experience in print, digital, website, UX, social media, signage, and video design.

Angela Lauer-Schaeppi Angela Lauer-Schaeppi

  • Curriculum Developer with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she/her/hers
  • 612.301.9772
  • laue0089@umn.edu

Angie is a curriculum developer for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy.

Nora Lee Nora Lee

  • Administrative Operations Professional with the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9792
  • nmlee@umn.edu

Nora started with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare June 2011 as the Executive Office and Administrative Specialist.

Nora Lee

Peter Li Peter Li

Peter Li contributes to the development and evaluation of assessment tools for professional certification in the Academy.

Peter Li, certification and evaluation specialist at the Multidisciplinary Institute for Child Welfare, wears black glasses and a gray button up shirt.

Julia Lodge Julia Lodge

Julia has over 15 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications and she leads the planning and execution of the communication efforts for the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW).

Kelsey McCarston Kelsey McCarston

Kelsey McCarston is the Therapy Lead at The Luminous Mind, a mental health clinic focusing on using a decolonized lens to support clients. She is queer, extroverted, and constantly striving to be a regulated parent and human.

Stuart Miller Stuart Miller

  • Evaluation and Certification Specialist, MN Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • ssmiller@umn.edu

Stuart recently completed his PhD in psychology at Kansas State University. Much of the focus of his research was on the psychology of prejudice as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Shiheina Munye Shiheina Munye

  • Engagement and Communications Specialist, Center for Practice Transformation
  • munye006@umn.edu

Shiheina Munye joined the Center for Practice Transformation (CPT) and the School of Social Work (SSW) as a Community Engagement Coordinator with a BS in Health Promotion & Equity and Community & Environmental Sociology.

Shiheina Munye

Timothy Nichols Timothy Nichols

  • Web and Digital Specialist, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare
  • he, him, his
  • 612-625-7468
  • nich0121@umn.edu

Tim has been with the University of Minnesota since 2012 and has experience working with website management, Drupal, Salesforce and Google Analytics.

Timothy Nichols

Bill O'Connor Bill O'Connor

  • Communications Director, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • he, him, his
  • 612-301-9788
  • oconn301@umn.edu

Bill leads the communication strategy for the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), which is a partnership between the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) and the Child Safety and Permanency Division at the Minnesota…

Bill O'Connor

Peggy Pond Peggy Pond

  • Academic Support Services Professional
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-624-3700
  • ppond@umn.edu

I have many roles in SSW! My main focus is assisting all of our School of Social Work's academic programs, both undergraduate and graduate.

Peggy Pond

Heidi Presslein Heidi Presslein

  • Director of Practicum Education
    Director of Practicum Education
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-624-4262
  • pres0051@umn.edu

Heidi is a full-time, 12-month, faculty member. She is the Director of Practicum Education and a Sr. Teaching Specialist.

Heidi Presslein

Julie Rohovit Julie Rohovit

  • Director, Center for Practice Transformation
    Community Faculty
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-624-8796
  • rohov001@umn.edu

Co-occurring Disorders, Clinical Supervision, Group Therapy

Julie Rohovit

Julie Rohovit Julie Rohovit

  • Director of the Center for Practice Transformation; SSW Community Faculty
  • rohov001@umn.edu

Julie is one of the founders of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation.

Julie Rohovit

Molly Rojas Collins Molly Rojas Collins

  • Director of Undergraduate Studies
    Senior Teaching Specialist
  • 612-626-7346
  • colli038@umn.edu

Molly Rojas Collins is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Teaching Specialist at the UMN School of Social Work.

Suzanne Shatila Suzanne Shatila

Suzanne Shatila, DSW, MSSW, LGSW, is the Director of Distributed Learning. Dr. Shatila was involved in mezzo and macro-level social work practice with human services, children's services, and community-based nonprofits prior to moving into higher…

Suzanne Shatila headshot

Liz Snyder Liz Snyder

  • Director of Training Partnership, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
    Co-Director, Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
  • she, her, hers
  • 612-301-9808
  • snyde276@umn.edu

In addition to being Co-Director of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), Liz is the Director of Training Partnerships at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW).

Liz Snyder

Kenny Turck Kenny Turck

Kenny serves as Executive Director with DIRT GROUP Global, and is a psychotherapist with Behavioral Health Advocacy Services He enjoys nature, music, art, growing food, cooking, preserving, reading, writing, singing/guitar, photography, DOGS, and did…

Image of Kenny Turck

Michael Van Wert Michael Van Wert

  • Clinical Trainer and Research Associate, Center for Practice Transformation
    SSW Community Faculty
  • he, him, his
  • vanwe027@umn.edu

Michael Van Wert joined the University of Minnesota School of Social Work's Center for Practice Transformation in 2022.

Michael Van Wert